Kool Smiles in the News

Kool Smiles "Operation Troop Treats" Campaign Announced as Finalist for 2016 Top National Health Care PR and Marketing Award

Jul 14, 2016

National children’s dental provider Kool Smiles has been named a finalist in the 2016 Ragan’s Health Care PR and Marketing Award for its ‘Operation Troop Treats’ campaign, an annual Halloween candy exchange for local communities that offers children toys in exchange for candy, which is then shipped in care packages to United States military troops stationed overseas through a partnership with Operation Gratitude.

Now in its fourth successful year, the community outreach program encourages good dental health during the Halloween season, while also bringing together community members to give troops overseas a reminder of home. The 2015 event generated record-breaking participation and turnout among Kool Smiles staff, patients and community members, with 6,620 total pounds —more than three tons — of candy donated, exceeding the previous year’s amount by more than 2,600 pounds. In addition to the candy exchange program, Kool Smiles donated 200 dental kits to Operation Gratitude, as well as the funds to cover the assembly and shipment of 200 Operation Gratitude care packages.

“Kool Smiles dentists and staff are deeply committed to promoting dental health to children, as we believe all children should have access to dental health education and care. We are especially excited by this initiative because it not only promotes health for children but also gives back to our military men and women serving overseas,” said Dr. Dale Mayfield, Chief Dental Officer for Kool Smiles. “It’s an honor to be recognized nationally for our continued work to ensure dental health education and care access.”

In an announcement online yesterday, Ragan’s Health Care PR and Marketing Awards said “the entries were thoughtful, imaginative, and did the work they were created to do with boldness and verve. Hundreds of entries from around the world poured in. The judges labored over the entries, narrowing the competition down the the finalists.”

Ragan’s Health Care PR and Marketing Awards program recognizes hospitals, specialized care facilities, health care-related organizations and agencies with health care clients for innovative ideas and inspiration in marketing and PR work. With hundreds of entries annually, the awards program selects organizations with exceptional storytelling, community-building, internal social networking, and other areas.

Judges will now evaluate the finalists from each category and announce the winners in late August. The Kool Smiles Operation Troop Treats campaign award submission is shared by Schmidt Public Affairs, its agency of record.

See the complete list of the 2016 Ragan’s Health Care PR and Marketing Awards finalists here:

About Kool Smiles Kool Smiles is dedicated to creating a world of happy, healthy smiles. As a leading dental health provider, Kool Smiles' mission is to improve lives by providing high quality dental care in a fun, compassionate environment. Kool Smiles dentists are proud to offer care to kids and adults with almost any insurance plan, including State Children's Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP), Medicaid and Tricare. Kool Smiles also provides oral health education programs through partnerships with community schools and organizations. For more information, please visit www.mykoolsmiles.com.